Napoleon Bonaparte Birthday (Date, Age, How Old)

Background

Of Italian descent, Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, to Carlo Maria di Buonaparte and Maria Letizia Ramolino. At the age of nine, he relocated to the French mainland, enrolling in a religious school in 1779. Not long after, he transitioned to a military academy at Brienne-le-Château in Northern-Central France on a scholarship. After completing his studies at Brienne-le-Château in 1784, he continued his training at the École Militaire in Paris, aspiring to become an artillery officer.

When the Revolution began in 1789, Bonaparte returned to Corsica to lead a troop of soldiers, earning a promotion to captain in the regular army in 1792. Following numerous battles throughout France, he wed Joséphine de Beauharnais in 1796, just two days before assuming command of the Army of Italy. Over the course of his remarkable military career, Bonaparte participated in more than 60 battles, suffering only seven defeats, with his most notable success being the Battle of Austerlitz.

By 1805, Bonaparte had declared himself Emperor of France and married Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma in 1810. His fortunes changed after a failed military campaign in 1813, culminating in his defeat by a vast coalition army at the Battle of Leipzig, which resulted in the capture of Paris. Subsequently, he was exiled to Elba Island, located between Corsica and Italy, and then to Saint Helena Island in 1815 following the Battle of Waterloo. His life ended in 1821, with suspected stomach cancer as the cause.